


3,000

by RioRiley



Series: An idiots guide for coping with the events of Avengers Endgame [9]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Spoilers, Cancer, Multi, Not Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Compliant
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-26
Updated: 2019-06-26
Packaged: 2020-05-19 23:37:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,108
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19365976
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RioRiley/pseuds/RioRiley
Summary: For those of you who thought endgame couldn't have been worse.Instead of dying from the snap, Tony dies because of it. A few months later, slowly.





	3,000

Tony snaps his fingers, Thanos and his army are turned to dust, and two weeks later he finds out there's a terminal brain tumor in his head. Life is fantastic. It's a Friday morning, and clean up crews are starting to really make a dent on the debris from the battle. The city is almost back to a slightly presentable state, the whales in the Hudson are long gone, and Tony is sitting in Stephen Strange's lab at the avengers headquarters, looking at the scans of Tony's brain. It was coincidental that they were even here. Stephen had begged Tony to let him scan his brain out of pure curiosity, to see what effects the stones had on him physically. And Tony hadn't admitted it to anyone, but he'd had a splitting headache since the snap, so he wasn't at all against the idea of an MRI. He was however, against the idea of dying. He was against the idea that the universe's reward for him saving it, was still death, and no longer a heroic death in the battle for humanity. Slow, painful death, where everyone he loves and cares about, and even the people he doesn't care about, get to watch him wither away, until there is nothing left. 

It felt like such a slap in the face, from the universe. Like, 'hey thanks for saving the entire existence of humanity iron man, here's a brain tumor to repay you for your kindness.

Stephen says there's absolutely no chance he can operate. It's not about his ego, and not wanting to throw away his perfect surgical success rate, it's simply physically impossible to remove the tumor without killing Tony. 

"Would it be entirely unreasonable to kill me?" Tony asks quietly.

"You don't want that Tony." Stephen whispers quietly, feeling a sense of insignificance as far as his medical skills reach.

Strange sits at the desk, looking at the scans and feeling as though, by finding the tumor, he's the one killing Tony. At the very least, he's the one delivering the death sentence. He's the one who gets to tell Tony that even though he survived time travel, even though he survived the fight against Thanos and was able to use all the infinity stones, he's still going to lose everything he has ever wanted. He's still going to leave his little girl behind. He's still going to die, and it's going to be a hell of a lot more painful of a death than death by glove would have been. Because at least if the snap had killed him, Morgan wouldn't have had to watch him die. Now, she will. That's cruel.

Tony walks out of the lab, and into the elevator, up to his and Peppers apartment at headquarters. He always takes a few flights of stairs up first, thinks it's good for him, and it gives him an opportunity to check up on other members of the team, but today, he couldn't be farther from in the mood to want to do that. He just wants to see Pepper. 

He has to figure out how to tell her.

Tony puts on his best face, as he opens the door, unknowing if Pepper has company, or even if Morgan is there now. When he gets inside, he finds Pepper in the kitchen cutting Peanut Butter and Honey sandwiches, for Morgan, and Peter, who can definitely cut his own sandwiches. Tony smiles at her, walks up behind her and kisses her neck.

"Pep, we gotta talk." Tony says, whispering in her ear. He looks to Peter.

"Pete, can you do me a solid and go take Morgan to play for a couple of hours?" Tony asks politely, giving Peter a unique and almost desperate look.

"Sure thing Mr. Stark." Peter says. "Hey Morgan, do you wanna go to the park?" 

Within a couple of minutes, After Morgan has her shoes on, Tony and Pepper are all alone.

There is no right way to tell the person you love most in the world that you are dying. It's uncharted territory. You can skirt around it, and deliver the news subtly, allowing them to fill in the blanks to avoid you having to use words like cancer, tumor, and death, or to avoid the fact that you are going to leave them, to live on their own for the rest of their life. You can choose to be blunt. State the facts. Name off the exact type of tumor, Glioblastoma, grade three. Be upfront about the survival percentages, zero. And about the approximate time you have left to fuck up the love of your life, a year. You can choose to be poetic about it. Talk about how the cancer cells are all made up of his own cells, that there is no foreign matter inside him. It's his own cells that have accumulated into a cancerous tumor inside his brain, and so in a twisted way, he is simply experiencing a prolonged suicide. 

You can cry, which you by all means have every right to do so, or you can choose to be tough. Choose to be strong and make the other person think that you have hope. That you aren't even the slightest but scared.

Tony goes about things in his own way, as always.

"Pepper, I'm dying." Tony says defeated. "There's a tumor in my head. And it's going to kill me." 

Normally Tony stands by the concept of never crying, as to never show weakness or vulnerability. He has this age-old concept drilled into his head by his father that it is his responsibility to stay strong no matter the situation. He wants to look strong for Pepper, so that she thinks he's okay. So that she doesn't know how absolutely scared he is. So that she doesn't know how absolutely hopeless he feels. 

It's the third time since Pepper has known Tony, throughout all the years that she has seen him cry. The first being when they got married, second being when Morgan was born and Tony realized that he was not only a father, but that he had a daughter. But both of those tears were in positive situations. Now, as she watches the man she loves lower his head into his hands on the kitchen counter, these tears are entirely different. 

There is no right way to tell someone you have cancer, and as it turns out, there is no right way to react to hearing your soul mate has it either. 

She walks behind him, and puts both of her hands on his shoulders, and starts rubbing them.

"I love you Tony." Pepper says heartbroken. "Tumor or not. I'll love you forever and ever."

She gets him to turn around, to face her, and then gently lifts his head with her left hand to look her in the eyes. He won't look at her. Not when he's crying.

Tony Stark, does not cry. But when he does, his constant sense of complete composure betrays him. His chin quivers. His face gets red and blotchy. His irises get brighter, and go from an undefined shit colored brown, to a more woodland color. And Peppers heart, breaks.

Pepper pulls Tony close as he lets out a shuddering breath. "Tony. I love you. And this does not change that."

Being around Tony for so long has gotten Pepper to really understand the things that set him off, the things he worries about. He's always struggled with feelings of inadequacy, and not truthfully knowing if the people around him even like him let alone care about him or so much as love him. She knows that he has this complex that if he doesn't meet the expectations he has set for himself that the people who do care, won't anymore. She knows, undoubtedly, that there are thoughts running through Tony's head telling him that him doing something so incredibly human as dying from a vicious disease is going to make her not love him. That him having cancer is going to make her reconsider all the feelings she has ever had for him and make her abandon him now.

"I'm so sorry." Tony lets squeak out within a sob.

"You don't have anything to be sorry for Tony. Part of the journey is the end, my love." Pepper whispers.

There's a press conference not long after, and rather than tell the world he has cancer, and is dying, Tony simply announces he is going into retirement.

Tony Stark, is a fighter and regardless of the grim diagnosis, he has a game plan that maybe if he gives this cancer thing all the fight he has left in him, he can beat it. So he convinces Strange to put him on a vicious chemotherapy and radiation regimen, regardless of Stranges pleas, that there is nothing they can do to defeat this tumor. Tony insists, that if he's going to lose this fight, he is going to go down swinging. 

As it turns out, Radiation as a form of cancer treatment hurts even more than the pain he felt after the snap. And, according to Banner, who didn't seem as offended at Tony's question as he had hoped, he has no chance of hulking out due to cancer treatment.

He's got this crazy Mike Myers hockey mask covering his entire head, perfectly shaped to him, and his literally screwed to a table for hours at a time while he endures the treatment. He has to sit there, perfectly still for hours, until the doctors unstrap him, and remove the mask. 

He won't let Pepper come with him to the hospital. Refuses every time she offers, regardless of if she begs or not. 

The first chemotherapy treatment is absolute hell. As soon as the IV starts dripping through, he can feel it like a fire burning through his veins. 

He dashes from their bed at around four in the morning, barely making it to the bathroom, and the toilet before he's throwing up everything that he hasn't eaten. He hates throwing up. It's always been his least favorite feeling. When he was younger and he felt nauseous, he would stick his finger down the back of his throat, to make himself throw up and get the nausea over and done with. But this is so much worse, because the feeling is so sudden. 

It's not long before Pepper is knelt behind him in the bathroom. She's knelt behind him, rubbing his back, and kneading his shoulders. 

"Tony, I love you." Pepper says quietly as he throws up every ounce of acid in his stomach and starts dry heaving. 

Morgan, his sweet little girl, doesn't really understand why her daddy is so sick all the time. Why he's been so tired and why he's so sore. Pepper brings Tony back home each night after the days he spends getting treatment in the hospital, and Peter is always there with Morgan. Tony thinks it's pathetic that they are downgrading Peter from Spiderman to babysitter, but at the same time he wouldn't have it any other way. 

Morgan is there, when Tony's hair starts falling out. Peters there too. They're all sitting on the couch, watching Star Wars, and Morgan is sat on his lap. She doesn't get to sit on his lap nearly as often as she used to anymore. Because he's always so sore, that having the pressure of her on top of him, is almost unbearable, but there are times like these, when Tony bites his tongue, and just lets it happen. He knows, she will remember moments like this for the rest of her life.

However, he would give anything to make sure she forgets this particular moment.

She's sitting on his lap, facing him, and playing with his beard. She runs her hands through his hair the same way she has thousands of times before, but this time is different in the fact that when she pulls her hands back, there are little clumps of Tony's short dark hair laced between her tiny fingers. She looks at her hands, frightened, and that's when Tony and Peter both notice. 

"Morgan sweet girl, it's not your fault." Tony says lovingly. "Remember mommy and daddy told you that daddy's medicine would make this happen."

He let's Morgan shave his head, and his beard because he figures they might as well since he will surely lose that as well, before Pepper has even made it home from her board meeting.

It's two months into treatment, when Pepper pulls their car in front of their beautiful home, and texts Peter, asking him to help her get Tony inside. Tony has long since given up on his concept of attending his treatments solo. He's weak, and he's tired, and he would die if he knew Peter was carrying his sleeping form like a child inside the lake house each day. She only texts him the one time, and after that he's always waiting. He meets them at the car in the driveway, and looks to see whether or not Tony is awake, which he rarely is. When he is awake, Peter offers out his hand, and helps him out of his car, allowing his hero to lean on him as they walk up into his home. The thing is, Tony knows what Peters doing. He knows the help he is receiving from Pete, and he hates that he needs it so badly that he can't rationalize arguing about it anymore. 

Peter grabs underneath Tony's knees, and his armpits, carrying him as gently as he can possibly manage inside his home while Pepper holds open the front door. He carries him up the stairs, and lays him onto the bed that he has already prepared by turning over the covers. He sets him down gently, allowing Pepper to pull the blankets over him, and oftentimes climb into the bed next to her lover, while on one particular occasion, Peter is led by Morgan into her room, for an impromptu tea party.

Peter sits down on the floor of her room across from her, and she sits down, very seriously. And looks at Peter in a way that makes him realize he didn't know that such a young girl had the ability to look so intimidating regardless of who her parents are.

"Is daddy going to die?" Morgan asks Peter, straightforward.

"Morgan, I think id better grab your mom." Peter says awkwardly.

"I've asked her. I've asked Happy. And nobody will tell me. No one will tell me what's going on. Or what's going to happen." Morgan says, stating the facts.

"Morgan, your dad is so brave. He's the toughest guy I know." Peter says taking a deep breath. "He's really sick Morgan."

"I asked if he was dying. Not if he's sick. I know he's sick." Morgan says with an attitude passed down directly from her father.

"Yeah. He's dying." Peter says.

A single tear slips down Morgan's cheek. "Soon?" She asks.

Peter nods.

A couple of weeks later, and Peter has taken up residence in the upstairs guest bedroom, while Pepper and Tony have converted the main level office into their master bedroom, because it's just easier for Tony to use. 

Tony has his first seizure while he and Pepper were having brunch on a Thursday afternoon. He had, admittedly, been feeling a little bit off, since he had woken up that morning, but brushed it off, because he never feels great anymore. Then he's sitting on the bench at their table, eating his favorite of the various quiches that Pepper has learned to make since they met, and he's eating a bite of spinach, and then there's nothing. 

Pepper sees everything. One minute Tony is fine. He's eating and he's complimenting her food. The next, his speech starts to slur, there's a clatter as he drops his fork. She remembers the look he gives her. Of absolute terror. Then those shit brown eyes she's grown to admire roll back into his head, he falls off the back of the bench, and onto the cold hardwood flooring.

His doctors told her this would happen. That he was going to start having seizures as the cancer progressed. They had said that at the beginning of his diagnosis, but a part of Pepper thought it would never happen. That the universe couldn't possibly be that cruel to Tony. The doctors had over prepared her with information on how to handle him, what to do during a seizure and how she could help him. 

As it turned out, there's not much you can do to help.

She clears out anything around him that he could hurt himself on, which at this moment means quickly sliding the table and bench a few feet away. The vase that had adorned their table, a wedding gift from her eccentric uncle Morgan, falls in the commotion and shatters. Pepper doesn't care. 

Tony will be pissed about it, on her behalf.

Tony's on the ground, and he's spasming. And it's terrifying to watch, but even worse to hear the noises that erupt from his lips. His doctors told her he wouldn't feel anything during a seizure, but the noises he's making sound like he's in an awful lot of pain. It's scary. 

But worse than the sounds that he's making, is the sound of his body hitting against the floor with each convulsion. Especially his skull. Pepper has taken off her shirt, If Tony were conscious he would be thrilled, and bundled it underneath his head, to try to give it a slight cushion against the unforgiving wood.

His eyes are open. 

That's the worst part. 

That even though she knows Tony doesn't know what's happening, his eyes show an absolute look of terror. 

The seizure lasts for three minutes and thirteen seconds, before the tremors and shaking subsides and Pepper is able to roll Tony onto his left side. She places a soft hand onto his chest, rubbing him with her fingers.

His body is only slightly twitching, as Pepper notices a new scent in the air, and sees the growing wet spot over Tony's crotch. It's normal for people to lose their bladder after a seizure. Pepper didn't think the universe could be any more cruel, but it's proved her wrong. She grabs the throw blanket off the back of the couch and tosses it over Tony's lap. Tony is going to be humiliated. Pepper knows it. 

She gently strokes his face as his eyes begin to focus on her.

"You did so good Tony. Just come back to me." Pepper says soothingly. Tony starts to stir, his eyes looking ever so slightly less cloudy.

"Do you know who I am Tony?" Pepper asks

"M' pep" Tony says barely above a whisper.

"Your pep?" Pepper teases with a smile. 

"Nice tits." Tony says with a tired smile. There he is. He'll be okay. "Gon' puke." Tony says, trying to move.

Pepper lifts his torso slightly, holding him up as he throws up all over the floor. That doesn't matter. She will clean it up later. 

"Tony do you know what happened?" Pepper asks.

"Logic'lly had a see'zure" Tony says with a slow slur, sounding like a buzzed Elvis Presley.

"Sorry Pep." Tony says quietly. 

"You don't have to be sorry Tony." Pepper says, holding his face in her lap. "It's all a part of the process right?" 

"Part of the journey is the end." Tony slurs with a soft smile. "I appreciate that you've pitied me enough to entertain me with your breasts pep, but what's with the blanket?" Tony asks, cocking his eyebrows at the blanket.

"Your doctors said it is absolutely normal to have this happen Tony." Pepper says cautiously.

"Oh my god I've pissed myself." Tony says flustered. His breathing starts getting heavy. "I've gone from saving the world to pissing myself in my kitchen."

"Tony. I love you." Pepper says, kissing his forehead. "Do you think you can stand? Let's go get you cleaned up." 

"Morgan didn't see anything right?" Tony asks, concerned. 

"She's at her friend's house down the street. They had a sleepover, remember?" Pepper says.

Tony nods, even though he doesn't remember.

It's not long after that that Tony decides it would be in his best interest to relocate back to headquarters. Because no matter how incredible and amazing that Pepper is, she can't handle taking care of him on her own. It's a whole lot of responsibility, and while she's doing a great job, and she's completely capable, Tony just wants to give her a break. To let her step away from being in charge of all of his medical necessities and allow her to simply focus on being there, with him.

After that, Tony's fight in the war against cancer becomes a team effort. Everyone takes away the enormous pile of responsibilities from Peppers shoulders, and for the first time in the four months that Tony has been sick, she feels like she doesn't need to worry. He's in good hands. They're her hands, and Steve's hands, Peters, Rhodeys, Happy's, and Bucky's. There's not a more capable group that she could trust.

Happy takes it upon himself to drive Tony to and from his cancer treatments, while Pepper gets to have time alone with Morgan. Steve, rides with them, and accompanies Tony to the treatments themselves. The hospital has strict rules about not allowing guests to sit in with patients during chemotherapy treatments, but those rules simply do not apply to Captain America. 

The treatments, which last for hours, give Steve and Tony a lot of opportunities to talk. 

"Tony, I'm so sorry." Steve says one afternoon during yet another rigorous treatment, after Tony has been throwing up.

"Not your fault." Tomy says, wiping his face with the corner of the cheap white hospital blanket. 

"No, Tony, I'm sorry for everything with us." Steve says.

"I know you are. And it's okay." Tony says with a tired smile. "Being here now makes up for leaving me to die in the snow." He laughs. Steve laughs too. 

"I'm sorry too, that I let you believe your dad killed your mom while driving drunk, when I knew different. I hate that I let you think it was just a coincidence that they died that night…" Steve rambles.

"Steve, the thing about my impending death, is that sometime soon, I'll be able to tell my parents all the things I regret not having told them." Tony says with a deep breath. "I get to tell them that I loved them, that I know they did the best they could. I get to tell my dad about all the things I made happen with everything he started." 

"You had a pretty great life." Steve says quietly, instinctively holding Tony's hand. "And you're a lot better of a man than I ever gave you credit for." Steve says.

"I know." Tony says with a smirk.

"Humble too." Steve winks.

Stephen Strange puts himself in charge of Tony's pain management, which is quite the undertaking. Tony has always been the kind of person who won't admit to being in pain no matter how absolutely excruciating the pain may be. He doesn't want people to worry about him. He doesn't want the people he loves to know how much pain he is in, or know that it's gotten bad enough that sometimes, he wants to kill himself.

Stephen is sitting with him one day in the lab, when he notices Tony tense up ever so slightly. It's barely noticeable, and up until this point according to Tony's mental notes, no one has noticed, no one until Stephen.

"Stark there are plenty of medications available that could help with the pain." Stephen says sympathetically, setting down the charts he had been looking at.

Tony lets his guard down then, unmasking the pain that has been building up all day, letting out a deep, shaken breath. He's been in a lot of pain, for a long time.

"I don't want Pepper to know I'm hurting." Tony says quietly.

"Stark, she loves you and the last thing she wants is to have you hiding something this bad. It's pretty bad isn't it? You're at a stage four, and I've seen patients with better circumstances than you, relying on Morphine at this stage." Stephen says.

Tony nods. 

"Tony, please let me help you." Stephen says.

They establish a routine. Tony is almost constantly hooked up to IVs at this point, to be able to keep him hydrated. Stephen checks up on him throughout the day, no matter who is in the room when he does. And if Tony needs something, he gives two quick taps against his wrist with his pointer finger.

Tony's in a lot more pain than Stephen suspected.

Natasha hangs out with Tony whenever Pepper needs to run errands. They of course have plenty of people who could run errands for her, but there are times when she needs to get away, and achieve the sense of normalcy found in doing her own grocery shopping. Or sometimes they just need her to take Morgan on a fun adventure to somewhere like the aquarium, so that they can have some alone time.

So, Natasha comes whenever Pepper asks her to. She's the most relaxed around Tony. She doesn't end every conversation listing off the regrets she has with him as though he may die before she gets the chance to. She doesn't make him talk to her for hours, or expect anything of him. Most of the time when she goes over, they sit and watch a movie. 

Thor pops down to earth at one point, and chills out with Tony for a little while. Tony asks him questions, about what in the hell is going to happen to him after he dies, and all Thor tells him is that he can assure him, hell won't have anything to do with it for him. That he's not going there. Which is comforting, but at the same time alludes to the concept that there is an after. A capital S Somewhere. And Tony, is much more in the mood to simply cease existing.

Bucky goes over a few times a week. He gives Tony massages, because apparently that just another thing to add to the list of things his metal arm is good for. The last time, before the very last time, that Bucky goes over, is the first time that they talk about Tony's parents.

"Tony, can we talk?" Bucky asks one day, as Tony is sitting in a brown worn out leather Lazyboy. 

Tony nods his head.

"Tony, I know you said it was okay, and I know you don't think it was my fault, but I'm really sorry for killing your parents." Bucky says, guilt ridden tears welling up in his eyes.

"Bucky for Christ's sake, it's okay." Tony says with a pained laugh. "Don't beat yourself up over it Buck. If that hadn't happened neither would any of this have." Tony takes in a deep breath. "In a way, I'm thankful for you, because that was my catalyst for becoming everything that I am today."

Bucky is surprised to say the absolute least.

"So thanks." Tony says with a cocky smile.

"Uh…. You're welcome?" Bucky offers.

Peter comes, and Tony knows the kid is still in a sense of denial. He offers Tony adventures, that six or seven months ago, he would have brushed off for being too busy, but now isn't even capable of getting out of bed, let alone going to an elementary school science fair.

It's late one night, three weeks before Tony ends up dying, that Peter gets deep.

"This isn't fair." Peter says at random one night. Tony has had a rough day. His body shakes each time the Morphine starts to wear off. He's cringing in pain, and he doesn't know how much longer he can keep up the whole living thing.

Peter keeps rambling. "They used to talk about you in my classes. In history class my teachers would go on and on about everything you've done 'for our country'" Peter mimics in a professional adult voice. "I grew up hearing stories about you. About the times that you saved the world. And I remember thinking how cool you were. I remember, my ninth birthday, I wished on my birthday cake that I could just happen to run into you one day." Peter laughs. "Tony, thank you." Peter says, now crying.

Tony looks up, and smiles at Peter. 

"You changed my life Tony." Peter says lovingly. 

"Pete, you're a good kid." Tony says quietly. 

Peters job, is to hang out with Morgan. He plays with her, all day long. They play with her dolls. They watch cartoons. They have tea parties. Peter is there, for the last Tea Party, with Tony and Pepper. It's a week before Tony dies.

They have the little tea set up on Tony's bed, and they are laughing and talking like nothing is wrong, even though over the next week it will start to feel like nothing is right.

They all have their pinkies extended, and each of them is using their best British accent, as they speak of the things they imagine posh British people talk about. Brexit. Tea. The queen. Pepper touches on the subjects that have caught her eye as far as royal tabloid news goes. She talks about Prince Charles, and about whichever of the women is pregnant this time, and whichever royal child has celebrated a birthday most recently.

Tony, is talking with them, when his words start to slur, and he has a seizure. He's gotten to the point that the seizures have become a daily occurrence, but he and Pepper have done a magnificent job of shielding morgan from all of it. 

Morgan's eyes grow wide, as Peter starts hurriedly cleaning the tea set off of the bed. Out of all the places for Tony to have a seizure, his bed is certainly the safest. There's nothing for him to hit himself on, and the surface underneath him is as accepting as can be. And in the mess of it all, neither Pepper or Peter has the thought to get Morgan out of the room. Pepper knew this would happen eventually. She knew at some point Morgan would see. She saw it coming, but at the same time she didn't, because she didn't think the world would be quite that cruel.

Tony's body is shaking violently. It's absolutely terrifying looking. He's making noises, and he keeps taking in loud, but increasingly shallow breaths. His back arches and falls. Like a cat, and cow position in Yoga. His eyes, at least, are closed this time.

"Mama, what's happening to daddy?" Morgan asks, scared. It's then, in that moment that Pepper remembers she's there. That she's seeing all of this. Peter looks at Pepper, alarmed, and ready to go and get Morgan out of the room. "Is he dying?"

"Sweetheart no, he's just very sick remember? Daddy's brain is sick." Pepper says with a sigh. "Daddy is going to die soon. But right now he's just sick."

Morgan, is an incredible little girl. Tony is there in front of her, flopping around like a fish out of water, adding another horrible memory to the moments that there's not a chance she will forget. She's just little. Any other kid would understandably run away crying. But Morgan isn't any other kid. She's something special. She scoots close to Tony's face, and kisses his forehead. She puts her little hand on his shoulder, patting him.

"It's okay Daddy. You're okay." She says quietly.

Peter tucks her into bed that night, long after Tony's seizure has subsided. Tony's in the other room, asleep, but okay.

"Pete?" Morgan asks, as he is about to leave the room.

"Yeah?" He responds

"I'd my Daddy loves me, then why is he gonna leave me?" Morgan asks quietly.

"He doesn't get to choose Morgan. If he got to choose to stay or to go, then he would stay forever. But he can't. He loves you a lot Morgan. And I think he is sticking around just so he can see you longer." Peter says, heartbroken.

"Do you think he will be able to come to my birthday party?" Morgan asks. Her birthday is in a month, and Peter, knows the chances of Tony even making it through the weekend are slim.

"I think he will try his best." Peter says.

"Peter?" Morgan asks again. Peter braces himself for another emotional bomb of a question.

"Can you get me a juice pop?" Morgan asks.

"You bet. Strawberry or Grape?" Peter asks.

"Raspberry." Morgan says with a smile.

Tony's last day, doesn't start off any different from the seven days before. He sleeps in a little bit later, and seems a little more tired than usual. But no one suspects anything is off until Bruce goes to check his vitals. They're critical. His body is shutting down.

"Tony, I think this is it." Bruce says with a whisper in Tony's ear as he hugs him.

Tony nods.

That day, Tony says his goodbyes. He says goodbye to his friends, that have become his family. One by one, they filter through the apartment and into his room. They all leave the room crying, knowing with a sad certainty that they will never have the chance to see their friend breathing again. Knowing that their lives will never be the same again.

In the end, Peppers the only one there. Morgan is in her room asleep, and Peter is holding her. Tony had said his goodbyes to her, the very last. And that was the hardest. Telling his little girl goodbye. Not knowing if he could watch over her, or if this was just it. If this was just the end. Peter carried her out of the room, after hugging Tony tightly. 

"I love you three thousand." Tony says to Morgan as he kisses her forehead, he says it just above a whisper. It's the last thing he will ever say. 

Pepper is in hers and Tony's room, watching him breathe. He's awake, but she knows he won't be for very much longer. Stephen has provided a collection of Morphine lollipops on the bedside table, for quick relief. But Tony, is consciously aware that they will make him fall asleep. That if he falls asleep now, there's not a chance he will ever wake up again.

Pepper is laying next to him, just looking at him. And somehow, in the midst of all this, she's smiling. 

Tony is shaking, and he's pulled the tube feeding him painkillers from his veins. His head is laying on Pepper's arm. He shakes his head, at the lollipop she offers him. He's gripping the sheet, so hard that his knuckles are white, and his veins are bulging, as she offers the lollipop again.

"Sweetheart please." Pepper whispers. She can't stand to see him suffer any longer. She can't bare to feel his constant quivering with pain. She can see it in his eyes, and maybe he can see it in hers, because he finally nods and accepts the grape flavored lollipop.

It clicks around in his mouth, against his teeth.

Pepper's eyes are locked on Tony, "I love you." She tells him, smoothing her fingers against his skin. 

He nods.

She runs her hand down his trembling back, trying to make him feel better while the morphine kicks in. The only sound in the room is his labored breathing.

"Tony were going to be okay."

Tony's head lies nuzzled in the crook of Peppers neck, their bodies entangled, his heart hammering against hers. She glides her pinky across his cheek, absorbing his warmth.

"You can rest now Tony." Pepper says with a smile. He closes his eyes, and she kisses his lips.

Tony Stark stops breathing, fifteen minutes later. 

And it's funny, because considering how many times Tony had saved the world, you would think it would stop spinning once he had stopped breathing. But it doesn't. The world doesn't stop. And there are thousands of people who don't even know he's gone. Thousands of people who have no idea that Tony Stark, is dead.

And sure, the public will catch word of it. There will be monuments and memorials eradicated in his honor. It will be the headline of every magazine out there, across the world. 

Iron Man, is dead.


End file.
